2 weeks Ago
When asked if she sings in the kitchen, says it’s a “silly” question. “That’s just part of it,” Parton tells TODAY.com.
“I remember mama used to sing all the time when she was cooking, and she was always singing anyway, so we just kind of picked that up.” The country legend says the entire Parton family — including — grew up loving to sing and still harmonize over the stove to this day. A favorite is the 1951 hit, “ ,” a classic country song by Hank Williams.
“We would sing, ‘hey, good lookin’, what you got cookin’?” Parton says. “How about cooking something up with me?” On Sept. 17, the 10-time Grammy winner and her sister Rachel Parton George are celebrating the release of their joint cookbook, “Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals.
” Titled after their mealtime duets, the book will feature more than 80 recipes including country ham and biscuits, barbecue spare ribs, Slaw of Many Colors ( ) and more, and will share tips for hosting holiday events and making memories like they have. The sisters say food was a big part of their upbringing — some of their most fond memories are set around the dinner table. In fact, some of the recipes they grew up on have landed in the cookbook.
“We usually would have chicken and dumplings, or we would have fried chicken,” Parton George tells TODAY.com of their childhood meals in East Tennessee. “That was always the thing that everyone loved in the family, that’s what I remember.
” “I think there’s something about Sundays and fried chicken — even in the country — that was just a special treat,” Parton says, adding that even though the dish wasn’t just a Sunday affair, they would always make it when the preacher came to visit. “The preacher in our family happened to be our grandpa, and grandpa loved fried chicken,” Parton says with a laugh. “But, he always felt like Sunday was his special day, even though he would eat with us at different times.
” Parton’s next business venture is a family affair. Along with the release of the cookbook, meal delivery service will be adding a few of the pair’s recipes to its menu for a limited time. The dishes, which will arrive in custom packaging inspired by the cookbook, are: “I’m ordering some of my own,” Parton says.
“We don’t have time to cook every day, so this is a wonderful way to enjoy our own food.” To celebrate the partnership, Home Chef is offering 18 free meals and free shipping for new customers who use the code “GETCOOKIN.” The meal kit service is also offering the chance to win a $150 gift card and a copy of “Good Lookin’ Cookin’” — folks can enter the giveaway by tagging their favorite cooking partner in the comments of Home Chef’s Instagram post from Sept.
18 — Oct. 18. “I think we just grew up in a family of love and respect, and we didn’t have anything money could buy, so we learned to feel rich by the love and the understanding and caring that we felt in our family,” Parton says of the decades the Partons have spent together.
“We feel like we lucked out in this world. God was kind to us, very kind.” “When you have your best friend as your sister, your best friend to cook with, to be there for you — it means everything,” Parton George says.
Her sister — who sounds touched by the sentiment — adds, “I second those emotions.” Washington, D.C.
native Joseph Lamour is a lover of food: its past, its present and the science behind it. With food, you can bring opposites together to form a truly marvelous combination, and he strives to take that sentiment to heart in all that he does..
